Fux Clearing Blades

This blade is very robust. It is a thick, heavy duty blade, 60mm wide, and about the same gauge tool as a light billhook. It is capable of cutting most woody plants up to half an inch in diameter, or bigger, depending on the species; but it is not recommended for grass. Typically used to work in areas where there are small saplings, fruit tree or thorn suckers, or weeds with woody stems. Care must be taken to keep the blade sharp, since heavy use of a blunt blade on tough material could damage the snath, or bend the blade.

The high performance of an Austrian blade is primarily due to its lightness and finesse; but this means that the blade is vulnerable to damage if used recklessly. Usually this damage - nicks,cracks and tears in the blade - can be repaired; but it can be avoided through good practice, which comes with experience.

Here are some tips:

• Keep the blade sharp, otherwise you will find you have to hack at the vegetation with unnecessary force; however do not peen the blade super-fine if you are planning to mow very coarse material.
• If you wish to tackle a particularly thick or tough plant that presents a challenge for the blade, cut it with an upward motion so that the incision is at an angle, and not perpendicular to the stem.
• Watch out for the stumps of saplings that may have been chopped off not very close to the ground in previous years.
• Use an old, less valued scythe in areas where junk may have been left, or where there are a lot of large stones.
• For information on using a scythe, please click here.

Left-handed?

Traditionally, left-handed scythes were rare as mowing was done in teams and everybody needed to be moving in the same direction. Most left-handers adjust easily to mowing with a right-handed scythe as the motion is symmetrical. Using a right-handed scythe gives you more options for blades and they are more readily available. However, if you do want a left-handed snath, we keep a few in stock and have 70cm mowing blades for them - please call to order.